Quarry
Deposit area and roads highlighted
Graphitic sands at the quarry
Feed stockpile at the quarry
Graphite streaks
Life sure is rough out here...
Screening out the oversize material
Loading up before trucking to the plant
The plant from the air, looking northwest
General plant layout with services and storage areas outlined
The plant yard layout
Aerial photo looking south
Main plant building on the right; lunchroom, washrooms, core shack, lab on the left
Lined settling pond conserves water for recirculation. Fencing protects the wildlife.
Settlement trench in the foreground. Soil sediment from recirculated water collects here over time and is recaptured.
Close up of pond
Preparing graphitic sand for later processing
Feed stockpile - several months' supply
Grey streaking around the feed stockpiles.
Simplified process flow
Feed goes up the conveyor into the plant
Feed is slurried upon entering the plant
Oversize chunks are screened off
First stage floatation. Air is bubbled through mixture of oil, water and feed. Graphite sticks to the oil while the sand sinks.
First-stage floatation from another angle. The big screw beside the steps removes the sand.
Conveyors move the sand outside...
...onto the sand piles
By Products include...
Concentrated soil sediment
Pea Gravel (unwashed)
Coarse sand (washed)
Masonry sand (washed)
'Golf' sand (washed and sized)
Sand being weighed prior before heading out to the golf course. Our sand meets US Golf Association specs!
Slurry from first-stage is sent for more floatation
Floatation network
Graphitic froth at the top of the cells
Skimmers push the froth into collection trough.
Thickener acts an intermediate storage area depending on production needs.
Milling used to liberate some remaining impurities.
More floatation
Top of the floatation column.
Slurry close up.
Dewatering and leaching equipment.
Sand and graphite separating on concentration table.
Dewatering belt vacuums off much of the water.
Graphite slurry after dewatering
Dryer removes remaining moisture.
Second high temperature dryer removes residual hydrocarbons.
Screening machine separates graphite into various flake sizes.
Graphite can be bagged into bulk bags or 25kg bags
Backup power
Lab equipment - sample dryer
Lab
25kg bags arranged onto 1000kg pallets.
Our flakes up close
